It seems like every time I’m in poetry class I end up doodling. My mind is focused on the discussion of the poem, of course, but my creative side is so in tune that my hand can’t help but continue to put pencil on paper.

First, the outline. Then a middle crossbar-a sort of upside down V. Then our symbols. And finally, my commons’ name, “WARE,” in bold letters across the top. I’m drawing a rough version of our crest.

Each RCLC team has meticulously planned out, hand drawn and rewritten, and submitted their crest for approval by the Office of Public Affairs. And on Friday (finally) we got to see the results.

When Jeff Grim revealed a sheet with all of the crests on them, we could barely stay in our seats. We looked at the fruits of our labor and couldn’t help but smile at one another in satisfaction! The crests are special to each commons and are all unique and beautiful in their own way.

Even bigger than that, the actual crests being released means that this is happening. Residential Commons is coming sooner than we realize and all of our planning is becoming doing. It’s exciting and scary all at the same time.

And what’s funny is that my favorite part about doodling isn’t the creation — it’s flipping through the pages and re-discovering something you did months ago.

I sincerely hope that in 50 years I’ll be able to come back to SMU at Homecoming and look up at the crest of, for me, Ware Commons and say, “I helped create that.” It’s an incredible creative honor and an opportunity I will cherish for probably the rest of my life.